Monday, October 19, 2009

AREA SENIORS AT RISK, RESIDENTS SAY

Tuxedo residents who want additional traffic lights installed on Kenaston Boulevard say the city is trying to stall their efforts.

Residents of two Haven 2 seniors blocks on Boulton Bay say the city needs to install additional traffic controls on Kenaston between Grant and Taylor avenues before there is a pedestrian fatality.

Many residents who live on Boulton are over the age of 55 and can't cross Kenaston on foot because of the constant stream of traffic, said resident Hart Piekoff, 64.

The city does not need to wait until someone gets killed at Boulton Bay to justify spending money on a directional light system, which will make senior citizens much safer, Piekoff said.

Boulton residents who want to catch a bus on southbound Kenaston must either walk to Grant or Taylor in order to safely cross the street, Piekoff said.

That simply isn't feasible for many seniors in the area, according to Lee Champagne, president of the Haven 2 residents association.

Champagne said residents have been lobbying the city for additional traffic lights on Kenaston for the past three years. However, she is losing confidence that anything will be done about their concerns.

It just doesn't make sense to me, but I'm not a politician, she said.

Champagne said the city's lack of action on Kenaston might be because the future of Kapyong Barracks has yet to be determined. The barracks are located on the west side of Kenaston near Boulton.

Ken Allen, communications officer for the city of Winnipeg, said that's not the case. Allen said the city has no plans to install traffic lights near Boulton at this time because traffic volumes in the area does not warrant them.

The requirement is 75 vehicles per hour making westbound left turns from Boulton during the six busiest hours of the day, Allen said, adding that pedestrian counts were also done and were below the required number.

The city has conducted two traffic studies in the area. The most recent one was conducted last September, according to Allen.

When we went out and did that study approximately 10 vehicles were making that turn per hour, which is well below the minimum requirement, he said.

Allen said the most recent study showed very little change from a previous study that was conducted two years ago.

Although there are no immediate plans to conduct another traffic study of the area, Allen said the city will continue to listen to residents concerns.

If residents do have concerns, it's important to make them known, he said.

Piekoff said that residents won't give up their fight despite the city's inaction.

"I think that everyone of us has a duty to make this a better world and we all would and could and should do it," he said.